Gauteng Online fails as others succeed

Johannesburg, 26 Aug 2009

In contrast to the online school programmes in the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), which are thriving, the Gauteng Online schools project is struggling to get off the ground.

While the Gauteng online project continues to be plagued by computer theft, poor Internet connectivity levels and mismanagement, the other two provinces have found solutions to make their projects a success.

The Western Cape's technology in education project, called Khanya, and the KZN's online project, are both proving successful, despite initial challenges.

These projects have also proven considerably cheaper than Gauteng Online. The KZN project has cost R51 million since January 2008, with a budget under R100 million since 2004. The Western Cape has spent R434 million since 2001 on its project. The Gauteng Online project budget currently sits at R2 billion.

The KZN education department says that, despite some challenges in the early stages of implementation, the project is now proving to be a success. The department introduced its project in 2004 and has been working to ensure all schools have connectivity and computers by 2013.

“We experienced challenges initially, but we are now experiencing success with the project. The systems we are using now have proven to be very successful,” the department says.

Deterring theft

Crime syndicates have targeted the Gauteng Online project, with an estimated 200 cases of theft reported at schools in 2008. Poor security at schools has also seen some schools abandon the troubled project. While the Gauteng Shared Services Centre (GSSC) has introduced physical security measures, these attempts have fallen short as the theft continues.

In 2008, the Western Cape education department introduced an online computer-tracking system to help deter computer theft. A service provider, ITcrimes, was appointed to keep a database of all computers and computer parts installed in schools involved in its online project.

The Western Cape reported that, despite strong security, thieves previously targeted between 10% and 12% of computer laboratories installed by the project. By February, 387 schools had been registered on the database - equating to about 8 000 computers. In 15 months, only six cases of computer theft were reported in registered schools. Over the December school holiday period, zero cases of theft were reported.

Despite continuing instances of theft, the GSSC declined to implement the solution used by the Western Cape. ITcrimes previously stated it had approached the GSSC about implementing the online tracking system for its project, but had received no response.

Real progress?

While the GSSC has continually provided conflicting figures on the success of its project, the Western Cape and KZN have been transparent with their progress and shown good development.

By 1 January 2008, 813 Khanya schools had been provided with technology facilities and computer laboratories, consisting of between 25 and 40 computers, each with LAN Internet. By July 2009, this had increased to 1 077.

A further 103 schools are in the process of infrastructure preparation for installation during the rest of the year. A total of 42 195 computers had been deployed in these schools. The province also stated that 23 962 educators have received basic IT training and 793 000 learners are benefiting from using the technology on a daily basis.

The KZN department revealed that, in 2006, the department's 850 schools had received one computer each. Its programme was extended and 100 computer laboratories were established in 2007. By April 2008, 500 schools had been provided with computers and printers for administrative purposes, while 200 schools had been connected to the Internet and 6 000 educators had been trained in basic computer literacy.

In April 2009, the department opened 60 computer laboratories at various schools across the province as part of its project. Each computer laboratory has been equipped with 25 networked computers, laptops, data projectors and smart boards.